Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to wireless network communications and, more specifically, to techniques for routing from an endpoint with simultaneous associations to multiple networks.
Description of the Related Art
A conventional wireless endpoint device may be associated with many different types of networks simultaneously. For example, a modern smartphone typically includes a cellular transceiver capable of joining a cell network, as well as a WiFi™ transceiver capable of joining a WiFi™ network. Oftentimes the various different networks to which the endpoint device may be associated provide common functionality. In the above example, both the cell network and the WiFi™ network would allow the endpoint device to access the World Wide Web.
When coupled to multiple networks that provide common functionality, conventional endpoint devices oftentimes employ a rudimentary heuristic to determine which network to rely upon for specific tasks. Returning to the smartphone example, a commonly used heuristic dictates that the smartphone should always access the World Wide Web via the WiFi™ connection as opposed to the cellular connection. This exemplary heuristic is meant to prioritize usage of the WiFi™ network over that of the cellular network, because WiFi™ communication speeds are often faster compared to cellular communication speeds.
One drawback of conventional heuristics for selecting between networks is that modern networks often provide varying levels of connectivity, and so prioritizing one network over another network can lead to connectivity issues when the prioritized network provides limited connectivity. In the example of WiFi™ vs. cellular connectivity, wide-range WiFi™ networks now exist that are designed to support many endpoint devices occupying a large geographical area, such as a shopping district or entire city. Such wide-range WiFi™ networks usually sacrifice communication speeds for increased area of coverage and number of users, thereby providing a large number of users with limited network access. An endpoint device configured to implement the exemplary heuristic described above would prioritize this wide-range WiFi™ network over a cellular network, despite the fact that the cellular network may actually provide better connectivity.
As a general matter, conventional endpoint devices often employ heuristics for selecting between networks that, in certain cases, may actually limit the communication abilities of the endpoint device.
As the foregoing illustrates, what is needed in the art is a more effective approach for selecting between multiple wireless networks to which an endpoint device may be coupled.